


Restless

by Liniel



Series: The Norrath Saga [7]
Category: EverQuest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 04:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19899664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liniel/pseuds/Liniel
Summary: In Freeport, the young mage Xanissa grows restless. Life as a trophy wife does not suit her, she dreams of great magic and wonderful adventures.





	1. Chapter 1

_Prison gates won't open up for me_  
_On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'_  
_Oh, I reach for you_  
_Well I'm terrified of these four walls_  
_These iron bars can't hold my soul in_

_Nickelback - Savin' me_

Xanissa paced back and forth in the apartment she shared with Ailith. They had quarreled again the night before and Ailith had stormed out in a bad mood, locking the door from the outside. It wasn't the first time. Ever since they had gotten back together, Xan had noticed her lover growing increasingly restless. Finally, she had mustered the courage to ask if Ailith loved her, at all. In reply, Ailith just smirked. “Love is for weak minded fools, honey. Love will only get you killed.” The words had stung at her heart and made her eyes tear up.

Xanissa sighed at the memory and rolled her shoulders. The early morning sun trickled through a window high up on the wall and spilled into the room. The window was too high for her to reach - and Ailith should have been back by now. Sometimes, she stayed away for days when she was on an assignment but there were no bounties to be collected that Xanissa knew of. She was probably spending a few nights with another one of her lovers. _Damn it._ Xan sighed again and looked around the room.

She had seen so little of the world and among Ailith's treasures lay scrolls and tomes speaking of wondrous places, of adventure. Of gods. She squatted down on the floor and crossed her legs. Picking up an old book she'd found two days ago, she let her fingers trace the letters on the cover. ~ The Undying Goddess ~ She turned the pages, sighing to herself. What use were all her powers if she would spend her life confined to these rooms, where all she could do was wait and hope that Ailith would come home once in a while to spend time with her? She had all this magic at her disposal-- suddenly her eyes lit up. Magic... Screw the keys. Had not the Overlord himself provided her with a means to escape? How foolish of her to not realize it until just now.

She got up on her feet, to find paper and a quill from her desk. Hastily, she scribbled a note.

_Ailith, I cannot stand being caged like this, as if I were nothing but a simple dog trained to bark only at your command._  
_I want to feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair. To see places I only know from books._  
_We can talk when I return. I will be gone for some time._  
_Love, X_

She let the note rest on Ailith's pillow, then packed her few belongings into a backpack. She grabbed her staff and the book about the undying goddess, then began the Calling Spell that would take her to Longshadow Alley and from there: beyond the city gates.


	2. The accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having find an old tome telling the tale of Anashti Sul - the Undying Goddess, Xanissa gets obsessed with the idea that translocating magic can be used to open a portal and allow the goddess a way back to Norrath. Even though she is but a novice mage, she truly believes she is strong enough to harbour that kind of wild magic. 
> 
> She is wrong.

_I can feel the night beginning_   
_Separate me from the living_   
_Understanding me,_   
_After all I've seen_   
_Piecing every thought together_   
_Find the words to make me better_   
_If I only knew how to pull myself apart_

_Evanescence - All that I'm living for_

A woman worked alone in the darkness of a damp cave, untroubled by the absence of light. All dark elves were gifted with innate ultra-vision, and the petite magician working her spell in the depths of the network of caverns under the Desert of Ro was no exception. There was an urgency in her movements, as if time itself struggled to hinder her progress. She mumbled feverishly to herself. "The power will be mine. All mine." A greedy gleam in her eyes, the warlock smiled in anticipation.

She knew she was playing a dangerous game. For generations, a curse had been lying dormant in the heart and soul of every member of her bloodline - and with every spell cast, with every word of magic uttered the curse would take hold until all there was, was the great hunger. For Xanissa, it was already too late and she knew it. The changes had begun taking place, and the pain seared her veins for every heartbeat. The old giving way to the new. Death would come to claim her, but she would not go without a fight. She clung to hope, praying with all her heart that her offer would be accepted and she herself spared from dying.

Feverishly, she continued whispering ancient, forgotten words as she gathered a few items from a small chest on the ground. Into a heated cauldron they all went - ground crystals, herbs, a handful of bone dust. Smoke ascended from the cauldron, long fingers of mist reaching out to touch the walls and wind around the magician. "Anashti Sul, the Everlasting. You who gave the gift of undeath to your children, hear your daughter."

She held up a wooden staff in the hazy air, a sparkling blue gem attached to its tip. With a gesture and a word, she tapped into the void and unleashed its power. Never once, since she discovered the ancient spell that would open the portals, had she doubted her own ability. She was convinced that her knowledge of void magic was enough to hold the gate open long enough for the Forgotten one to slip back into existence.

The fabric of time and space ripped open with a loud bang, the swirling portal fading in and out of existence for a few seconds. A victorious smile lit up Xanissa's beautiful face, but suddenly she froze. Her heart thudded once, twice - and stopped. Azure eyes glazing over, her body slumped to the floor.

She fell into the portal.

When it snapped shut, the ground rumbled and stones fell from the ceiling to crash down onto the cavern floor. Xanissa was nowhere to be seen.


End file.
